7-15-18 Kindness – The NEW witness!

Scripture  Ephesians 4:29-32

This past week I was the recipient of an act of kindness; and I was a witness to an act of kindness from one person to another.

We live in a world that is anything but kind. Words and actions of unkindness, meanness, nastiness, brutality, malice, spite, vindictiveness, callousness, harshness and heartlessness abound from the wealthiest and highest positions to the poorest and the outcast. Unkindness has no boundaries and escapes no segment of life.

Ephesians 4:29-32

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

ILUSTRATION:

A Youth in Japan was moved by the kindness of a gentle elderly man. The man, a missionary, had not been in this Asian country for many years and was still limited in his use of Japanese. Yet, each week he visited the young man’s home to discuss the Bible. With friendly smiles and kindly manners, he patiently answered the many questions that the curious young student raised.

The kind ways of the elderly missionary left an indelible impression on the young man. ‘If the Bible makes a man so kind and loving,’ thought the young man, ‘then by all means I should learn about it.’ This gave him the incentive he needed to study something totally foreign to him. Yes, kindness touches the human heart and speaks to it, often more powerfully than words can. You may have heard the phrase – “You may be the only bible someone ever reads.”

Should people be kind just because it is the right thing to do? YES! Daily life would be so much better if people (regardless of religion) would use words and perform acts of kindness.  How many of us hear an unkind word or are subjected to an unkind act every day? In the world of social media, the lack of kindness has soared to new levels as people hide behind a screen name and say all kinds of nasty things. I used to love to play online hearts – played with people al over the world and could chat as you played. It became a problem as people would play and become cruel if they weren’t winning. I stopped playing years ago because of that. This last week I thought I would see if it still exists – it does…but without the live chat.

          For non spiritual reasons it makes sense - Proverbs 11:17  Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

Luke 6:31  Do to others as you would have them do to you.

          Even though we should all be kind because it is a better way to live, that may not be reason enough. There are two higher reasons we should speak and act kindly.

REASON 1 Because God does

          Over and over the bible speaks of God’s kindness – Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

          Romns 5:8  But God demonstrates his own love (kindness) for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

REASON 2 Because Jesus wants us too – the bible says so

Jesus wants us too:

Matthew 5:46-48

 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The bible tells us too:

I Cor 13:4-8, 13

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (which is kindness).

NOTE the contrast between what not to do and what to do – only 2 things to do – be patient and kind. Paul carries that Don’t do this and do this theme into our text for today…

Ephesians 4:29-32

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

          Paul gives us an ethic of kindness – he paints a picture if you will and we must stare at that picture daily if we are to change and become more Christlike. We cannot copy what we do not see. We must see the picture of the kindness of Christ – dying on the cross out of kindness for those who sinned and turned their back on him.  When we see that picture, we can’t help but act toward others ALL OTHERS in kindness. When we do that, we become the artist and are painting a picture of kindness, therefore of Christ, for all the world to see.

          KINDNESS is the new witness. We are now no longer motivated to be kind because it is the right and better way to live – we now have the intention of experiencing God as we speak words and do acts of kindness because he is living and working through us – what a difference that makes. I can take it or leave it if it simply benefits me – but if it somehow allows me to experience the reality of God in my life – I want that more than anything. Let the kindness begin. Keep in mind that kindness is an act of the will – God works with us – not on us.

I mentioned that I received words and an act of kindness this week. Someone responded to a need, not because it was a right or better thing to do, but because they were living as the hands and feet of their savior Jesus Christ.

The words and act of kindness I observed I was also involved in. My kindness motivation was because it was right – so my the words I said…and those I refrained from saying were less Christ influenced and more duty influenced. Then along comes a church member who takes the person and shows them great words and acts of kindness that were absolutely an ethical intention based on an awareness of Christ – having seen the picture of his kindness toward them and measuring it out to one of the least of these. It was a beautiful thing to watch and made me want to be more like that, therefore more like Christ in his kindness toward others.

Matthew 25:31-    When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

          Remember the young man in Japan who was shown kindness by an elderly missionary -because of that kindness – he found NEW life in Christ. Kindness…the new witness.

7-8-18 BEHOLD, I got nothing new!

Scripture  Hebrews 11:1-2, 12:1-2

Hebrews 11:1-2

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Duncan Phillips talks about the importance of standing up and saying, 'This is who we are.'

The Newsboys band appeared in the hit film, "God's Not Dead," and their song, "We Believe," appears on the Billy Graham tribute album.

 During an interview about the song We Believe, Duncan Phillips said, Christian music

is a funny thing. It is one of the only genres of music that is characterized by its lyrical content rather than its musical style. Sometimes because of that, the art of the music tends to be second rate. That is not as important as the lyrical content. I get it, but I don't necessarily agree with it.

A lot of times if you want to reach kids, the music has got to stand out. It can't be second rate. The music is the conduit to get the message into the heart of a person, into their soul and their spirit. If the music isn't as good as current secular music, there is going to be a barrier. I think we've failed at making the art as good as it could be. With this album more than ever before, we really wanted the art to be great.

I think "We Believe" says, all that aside, this is who we are. This is what we believe. We believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, the crucifixion, He conquered death, the Resurrection, and He's coming back again!

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

John 14:19 (The Voice):  Because I live, you will also live.

John 20:29 (NKJV): Jesus said, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

1 Corinthians 15:21 (NKJV): "For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Romans 10:9 (NKJV): That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

What's the takeaway message

This is who we are as Christians. At some point, we must stand up and say this is who we are. No matter what you are going through, when you stand and sing this song and claim your faith in a very simple way, people resonate with it. They stand up and raise their hands and it is a declaration of what we believe.

Through Christ, we need to have joy and express what we stand for more than what we are against. With statements like this song, it is very positive and uplifting.

Lyrics:
In this time of desperation when all we know is doubt and fear, There is only One Foundation - We believe, We believe - In this broken generation when all is dark, You help us see, there is only One Salvation - We believe, We believe

Together we read the Nicene Creed. The shorter Apostles Creed reads like this:

THE APOSTLES CREED

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

1l. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

          As Baptist, we have no creeds. Creeds are largely a part of the Catholic Church and are somewhat ascribed to in the Episcopal and the Lutheran Church. Because we have no written authority other than the bible it does not mean the creeds are no good. They are a way of saying, in short form what we believe according to the scriptures. Instead of creeds – which in some cases are placed equal to the scriptures, we would say we have statements of faith that are altered over time due to language, culture and what is se as most important to talk about.

          There have been many Baptist Confessions or statements of faith written over the years. It would be a good exercise for everyone to write their own. For example, if you were writing a statement of faith, to state plainly what you would believe, would you start by saying what you believed about the bible first, or God, or the state of man, or the church, or heaven, or salvation, etc. See, even knowing where to start is challenging.

Once you put the major theological components in a logical order – not necessarily one thing greater than another – simply an order that makes sense, what do you say about each? If you start with the nature of man, do you say that man is good, man is evil? What? How about staring with God created man in his own image and saw that it was very good (Gen 1:26). Man disobeyed God and is in a state we call fallen – as in fallen from grace. Or in a sinful state: There is no one righteous (Rom 3:10) All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).

Then you might go on to the nature of God – that God is love, etc. Then Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Church, Heaven, etc.

          Is it enough just to believe? We know the Bible says, “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” Acts 16:31 or Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Part of my statement of faith would be that the bible is the sole written authority for all things pertaining to God and daily life. Now here is the rub. What does the word believe mean according to the Bible – not only according to our best translated word?

Believe in the Greek is pisteuson pisteuson = To believe or entrust.

You will be saved in the Greek is swqhsh sōthēsē = to save

There is more: Believe is the aorist imperfect followed by you will be saved which is future passive and forms a type of Hebraic conditional sentence.

                       The aorist is a single event in the past – you did believe – but it is also imperfect which is something continuing in the past. So, your belief started at a point in time but continues. Some people could have a single moment of belief that does not continue. That continuing belief according to the word used here is essential for being saved. (Stop arguing for once saved always saved and argue for once believed always believed)

                       The future passive of you will be saved – passive means something is being done to you. You are not saving your self – the saving is being done to you because of your belief that continues. It is future, meaning it has been done, is being done and will be done based on when you started to believe and that you continue believing. 11-4-74 I had my aorist moment of belief and (cause and effect) I was saved. I have (in the imperfect tense) continued to believe and have continued to be saved and yet I also look forward to that day when Christ returns, and I will be saved.

                       WAIT – there is more. You may have missed something very important I said in the definition of ‘believe’ according to the Greek. When we talk about belief, we simply mean an intellectual ascent. But that is not enough. It is not enough to just believe it in your mind – check this out: James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. The demons always believe – they call Jesus the son of the most high God and tremble in fear when he shows up (send us into those pigs over there). Are the demons saved? NO! The bible says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. We conclude then that just believing as an act of intellectual ascent – is not enough. Remember the definition was not simply believe but entrust – put your trust in. Therefore, when the bible says Believe in Jesus and you will be saved it means you start with intellectually believing but also means you put your trust in the object of that belief - JESUS!

                       What does it mean to trust? It means to commit to another with confidence.  It is not just saying Jesus is Lord (Mt 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’) You can believe with your mind – you can say I believe – but true belief is much more – you must put commit yourself to trust in Jesus.

                       WAIT, there is more – the one who enters his kingdom is the one who does the will of his father. That is the 3^rd and final part of what the word believe in the Greek means – it implies action. Intellectual belief first – putting trust in Jesus follows – and living the belief completes it. All three parts are inherent in the word believe. Let’s go back to James who so well describes what real belief (or faith is)

James 2:14-23

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith (belief) save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

Yes We believe in God the Father / We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit / And He's given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion / We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection / And He's comin' back again, we believe

So, let our faith be more than anthems Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations We believe, We believe!

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised! In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live loud, our God we'll say We believe, We believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail! For the power of God, has torn the veil!
Now we know Your love will never fail! We believe, We believe!

Intellectual Belief becomes Committed trust in Jesus becomes Action – lives lived for Christ!

That is the belief we mean when we sing the song WE BELIEVE!

7-01-18 What does Freedom Mean to you?

Scripture    John 8:31-32

VIDEO: What does freedom mean to you?

Most people in the video said: Freedom means I can do whatever I want with no one stopping me. Online dictionary says – Freedom is a Noun: = the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Webster 1928 Freedom = A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious.

PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL, ETERNAL FREEDOM

Acts 12:1-19                      PHYSICAL RELEASE FROM PRISON

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John  Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Acts 16:16-40                   SPIRITUAL RELEASE FROM PRISON

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

John 8:31-59              ETERNAL RELEASE FROM PRISON

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.”  “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”  “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”  “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”  “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

6-24-18 LET…!

Scripture   Isaiah 60:1-22

What comes to mind when you hear the word “Let”?

“Let me entertain you, let me make you smile”

“Let me have it”

“Let go” FROZEN – “Let it go”

“Live and let live” or “Live and let die”

“Let go, let God”

“Let it be”:

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be
And in my hour of darkness, She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be
And when the broken-hearted people, Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, Let it be

LET = to give opportunity to, or fail to prevent
          [GIVE OPPORTUNITY / DON’T PREVENT]

Our song today says:

Let the glory of the Lord Rise among us
Let the praises of the King Rise among us
Let the songs of the Lord Rise among us
Let the joy of the King Rise among us
Let it rise Ohh, ohh ohh Let it rise

Isaiah 60:1-22

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
² See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴ “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.
⁵ Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.
⁶ Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
⁷ All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.

⁸ “Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?
⁹ Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,^[a]
bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.

¹⁰ “Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.
¹¹ Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession.
¹² For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.

¹³ “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet. ⁴ The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵ “Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.
¹⁶ You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
¹⁷ Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.
¹⁸ No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
²¹ Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
²² The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Isaiah 60-62 display the glorious future of a Jerusalem in which God’s glory shines through his anointed servant Jesus Christ: (Is 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.). That glory will express itself when sin has been conquered by God’s warrior. Even prior to that final blow to sin and death there is a realization of much of the divine glory in the here and now. From Jerusalem a witness has gone out to the world and that witness continues to this day through His people – the church.

Chapter 60 has 4 distinct parts:

1-3    Poetic introduction

4-9    Zion’s return from exile carrying the wealth of the world

10-14 Oppressive kings submit to Zion

15-22 God will not forget Israel but will restore her to himself.

The fascinating part is that the people have already returned from exile – therefore Isaiah is talking about returning from a theological exile. It has not to do with physical captivity, rather with spiritual captivity – much from the influence of the Babylonian captivity. Yes, some stayed strong during captivity like (Meshack, Shadrach, Abednego and Daniel) but many did not. The glory of the Lord had fallen from their spirits and the time had come for them to Let the glory of the Lord rise among them.

John 17:1-6

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ² For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.  “I have revealed you^[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.

John 17:10 And glory has come to me through them.

John 17:24

Paul likens us to shining stars, and the word shine means to reflect. The scientific term is albedo. It's a measurement of how much sunlight a celestial body reflects. The planet Venus, for example, has the highest albedo at .65. In other words, 65 percent of the light that hits Venus is reflected. Depending on where it's at in its orbit, the almost-a-planet Pluto has an albedo ranging from .49 to .66. Our night-light, the moon, has an albedo of .07. Only seven percent of sunlight is reflected, yet it lights our way on cloudless nights.

In a similar sense, each of us has a spiritual albedo. The goal? One hundred percent reflectivity. We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord. You cannot produce light. You can only reflect it.

Let the glory of the Lord Rise among us
Let the praises of the King Rise among us
Let the songs of the Lord Rise among us
Let the joy of the King Rise among us
Let it rise Ohh, ohh ohh Let it rise

6-10-18 Open Up the Heavens!

Scripture  Revelation 21:1-7

Open up the heavens

We've waited for this day, We're gathered in your name, Calling out to you
Your glory like a fire, Awakening desire, Will burn our hearts with truth

Open up the heavens, We want to see you, Open up the floodgates, A mighty river
Flowing from your heart, Filling every part of our praise

Show us, show us your glory, your power, your glory, Lord

When we all get to heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, Sing his mercy and his grace
In the mansions bright and blessed, He'll prepare for us a place

When we all get to heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus, We'll sing and shout the victory

When the roll is called up yonder

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there

I’ll fly away

Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away
To that home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Worthy is the lamb with crown him with many crowns

Worthy is the Lamb Seated on the throne. Crown You now with many crowns. You reign victorious High and lifted up Jesus Son of God. Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne, Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee, and hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Rev 21:1-7

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Richard Baxter was a very effective pastor in England in the 1600s. His whole adult life was spent battling one sickness after the other. He was harassed by a constant cough, frequent nosebleeds, migraine headaches, digestive ailments, kidney stones, and gallstones. He believed in supernatural healing and said several times he was restored to fruitful labor because of God's direct intervention. He said once a cancerous looking tumor in his throat vanished while he was in the pulpit testifying to God's mercies in his own life. Yet bodily suffering was with him to the end, and he once said that from the age of 21 he was "seldom an hour free from pain."

Richard Baxter's Regular Meditation on Heaven

One of the effects of this suffering was to make him intensely conscious of how temporary his life is and how inevitable death is. Once, at 35 he was so sick, he would probably not recover. He began to meditate on the joys of heaven and the age to come in preparation for leaving this world. He focused especially on "the hope of glory" and began to write his thoughts.

To his surprise he recovered, and his thoughts became a book entitled The Saints' Everlasting Rest. He took up the practice of meditating on heaven a half hour each day because of the powerful impact it had on his life. He commended the same thing to his readers. He said,

If you would have light and heat, why are you not more in the sunshine? For want of this recourse to heaven, your soul is as a lamp not lighted, and your duty as a sacrifice without fire. Fetch one coal daily from this altar, and see if your offering will not burn . . . Keep close to this reviving fire, and see if your affections will not be warm.

We Are Citizens of Another Age

This is good advice. Paul told us to do this in Colossians 3:1–4.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

In other words, if our resurrection with Christ is so sure as virtually to have already happened, then we are to live in the constant awareness that we are citizens of His kingdom. We are not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And that renewing means conformed to the newness of the kingdom to come, because God says, "Behold I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5).

Pondering the Greatness of the Age to Come 

I want us to focus on the objective reality of what is coming for us in the age of the resurrection. Romans 6:5, "If we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."

The person who knows that his destiny is glorious and certain will be free to live the most radical life of love and sacrifice..

If somebody falls out of an airplane with no parachute on and you don't have one either, you aren't going to jump out after them. It won't do any good. Two deaths aren't better than one. But if you have a parachute on, you just might try one of those awesome rescue attempts, and free fall like a bullet to catch the helpless and pull your cord. It's the hope of safety in the end that releases radical, sacrificial love now.

Paul said in Colossians 1:4–5, "We have heard of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope laid up for you in heaven." It's the assurance of the hope of heaven that releases the radical, risk-taking love that makes people look at your life (like Peter says) and "ask a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). What do those people see when they ask that? They see you jumping out of an airplane to save another person. So they say, "Hey how can you jump out of the comfort and safety of this airplane?" And you answer, "I have a parachute called the hope of glory."

What will it be like?

Four Ways in Which God Will Make All Things New

The purpose of God for creation will not be complete until all things are made new and the glory of the Lord fills them all. In verse 5 God says, "Behold, I make all things new." And he enforces the certainty of it in two ways. He is sitting on his throne when he says it—the throne of authority. "He who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold I make all things new.'" And after he had said it, he added, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." So God wants us to read this and be sure of it. He wants us to have assurance that no matter how much evil and suffering and futility we see now, he will make all things new.

Let's look at four ways the newness is coming.

1. Spiritually and Morally New

The greatest frustration of this age is that we still sin. Romans 7:34 describes this painful truth: "I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind." This war is the most frustrating thing about life in this age—at least it is for the children of God. We want to be holy and we fall short of the holiness we long for. We want to love and we say hurtful things. We want to worship and we feel cold. We want to walk in peace and we feel anxiety. We want to be pure in thought and impurity bombards our minds.

There is some progress as the Spirit helps us in our weakness. But what we long for is deliverance from this bent to sinning.

That is what God promises when he makes all things new. We will be made spiritually and morally new—not just partially as now, but completely. Look at verse 2: "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." This is a picture of the church prepared and beautified for her husband, Jesus Christ. When God makes all things new, he makes the church—the people of God—spiritually and morally beautiful for his Son. Look at the way this is described in verses 9–11: Then came one of the seven angels who spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God [the same image as in verse 2], having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

When God makes the bride ready for the Son, the way he does it is by giving us his glory—verse 11: "having the glory of God." And this glory will purify us so deeply and so thoroughly that we will be like a rare jewel, clear as crystal. Don't you long for that day? Nothing hidden and nothing shameful. That's the first way the newness is coming. God will make us spiritually and morally beautiful for our final marriage with his Son.

2. Physically New

The Bible does not teach that the final state of glory is one of disembodied spirits. Plato and his kind wanted it that way because they thought the body was a drag on the freedom of the spirit. But the Bible teaches a very different destiny for God's people. God will make all things new—including our bodies.  Verse 4 points in this direction: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

No more death. No more pain. No more tears. What that means is that the body we know now will be changed. Because it dies. And it hurts. And it cries. If death is gone and pain is gone and tears are gone, then the body as we know it here is gone. That may sound like Plato—good riddance to the body of pain. Revelation is plain that the point is not good riddance to the body but that God will make all things new.

Paul put it like this in Philippians 3:20–21, But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

There are a lot of people who feel that they didn't get a fair shake when the bodies were passed out. Some people have dramatic deformities, some have lost limbs, some are paralyzed, some can't hear, some can't see, some have extensive skin blemishes. But God has no intention of leaving anybody in that condition who put their trust him.

When God makes all things new, he makes our bodies new.

3. The New Creation

This is the point of verse 1: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." The hope of the prophet seems to be that this earth and heaven will be made new. God will renovate the whole thing—a kind of global rehab project. And everything futile and evil and painful will be done away.

Paul put it like this in Romans 8:21, "The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the liberty of the glory of the children of God." The newness and the glory of the church, the children of God, is primary and first. But then God promises that the glory of his people will demand a glorious creation to live in. So the fallen creation will obtain the very freedom from futility and evil and pain that the church is given.

So when God makes all things new, he makes us new spiritually and morally, he makes us new physically, and then he makes the whole creation new so that our environment fits our perfected spirits and bodies.

That leaves one last work of renewing when God makes all things new.

4. A New Relationship with God

John tells us about this in verse 3: "I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them."

It's true that God is with us now. His Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Jesus promised never to leave us to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20). But in 2 Corinthians 5:6–7 Paul said, "While we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, here we walk by faith and not by sight."

So there is a deep and painful sense in which we are "away from the Lord"—we do not see as we will one day see. "Blessed are the pure in heart," Jesus said, "for they shall see God." It's a promise. Something greater is coming for all of us in our relation with God.

Zaccheaeus couldn’t see Jesus without the help of tree. Revelation 22:4 tells us how we will see him in this new relationship: "They shall see his face and his name shall be on their foreheads."

When God makes all things new, he will make us spiritually and morally as pure as flawless crystal, he will give us a body like the body of his glory, he will renovate all creation to take all futility and evil and pain out of it, and finally he himself will come to us and let us see his face. And so forever and ever we will live with pure hearts and glorious bodies on a new heaven/earth in the presence and the glory of our heavenly Father.

END AS WE BEGAN – WITH A MUSICAL PRAYER

Prayer of seeing heaven while living radical lives for Jesus on earth.

The great I am

I want to be close, close to your side, Heaven is real and death is a lie
I want to hear voices of angels above , Singing as one

Hallelujah, holy, holy, God almighty, the great I am
Who is worthy, none beside thee, God almighty, the great I am

I want to be near, near to your heart, Loving the world and hating the dark
I want to see dry bones living again, Singing as one

Hallelujah, holy, holy, God almighty, the great I am
Who is worthy, none beside thee, God almighty, the great I am

6-3-18 What’s New?

Scripture   Ecclesiastes 1:9

Eccl 1:1-9

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." 3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.   NIV 

Ecclesiastes 1:1-9

These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem: 2 Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That's what the Quester says.] There's nothing to anything — it's all smoke. 3 What's there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? 4 One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes — it's business as usual for old planet earth. 5 The sun comes up and the sun goes down, then does it again, and again — the same old round. 6 The wind blows south, the wind blows north. Around and around and around it blows, blowing this way, then that — the whirling, erratic wind. 7 All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea never fills up. The rivers keep flowing to the same old place, and then start all over and do it again. 8 Everything's boring, utterly boring — no one can find any meaning in it. Boring to the eye, boring to the ear. 9 What was will be again, what happened will happen again. There's nothing new on this earth. Year after year it's the same old thing.  MSG

Small Intro then say “I can’t get no satisfaction.” (Video of Rolling Stones)

          Do you ever feel like “I am filled up with Christ and I am ready to take on the world?”

Do you ever feel like, “My tank is empty, nothing I do matters and nobody cares anyway, so why should I even try?”

          Does life seem to be like a roller coaster with ups and downs, twists and turns?

Or maybe a series of Mountains and Valleys that never seem to send? (Gretchen and I in the South Hills – at each summit was another hill to climb)

          If it is like that for you individually, isn’t more so for a church? Ashland used to have 500+ people a week in worship. Is that a sign of the times and we accept it could never be that again? Do the Cedar Creeks of the world have the only chance for that? Do we hope that God will work miracles or just try to make sure we meet budget and have a decent attendance?

          If it is like that for individuals and churches, how much more so for a nation. Will the US and North Korean leaders meet or won’t they? Will shootings at schools, malls, churches and concerts ever stop or become more pervasive? Will we ever get the US out of debt? Will the US serve as a moral compass for the world? Will we be the most technologically advanced country in the world?

Ecc 1:8-9 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Bud Young – Art teacher at Judson College “It’s been done before”

Well, let’s look at this cheerful text of scripture and see what it has to do with our theme for the year.

Who wrote these word?

Ecc 1:1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem’

          Of course that must be Solomon. Teacher – that could be anyone. Son of David, king in Jerusalem? That could be any of thousands of people descended from Solomon, even Jesus was known as a son of David. Very few believe Solomon wrote. Sometimes it is from the voice of a subject, not a king. It seems to be written at a later period than Solomon, but someone writing in such a way as to pick up some themes from Solomon himself.

What was this person writing about?

Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is Meaningless!

Smoke, nothing but Smoke! There’s nothing to anything. It’s all smoke!

That version from the Message is a better translation than the NIV. The word used 38 times in Ecclesiastes more than the rest of the entire OT is translated meaningless – or smoke and is actually translated as breath. The Hebrew is hebel = breath. In other words, 5 generations from now no one will remember what you have done and few will even know you ever existed. You are only a mist, a breath that appears for a moment then vanishes with the wind. Life is meaningless, useless, hollow, futile, empty, worthless, pointless. If extended it could be saying your church or your country are insignificant, unimportant, inconsequential, trivial, and irrelevant.

“I love preaching so I can build people up.”

As many times as hebel is used by the author, there is a phrase connected to it used almost as often, that phrase is “under the sun” If earth were placed inside a bubble, away from heaven’s influence, separated from God’s presence, this is what life would look like.

The author says, consider your work –

the traditional wife/stay at home mom gets up, cleans, does laundry, chases the toddlers around and tries to make a creative healthy meal that everyone will want to devour.

The husband works and commutes 50+ hours per week, comes home to mow the lawn, take out the trash, watch some tv sleep and hate his alarm in the morning.

The single person works, tries to balance various friendships as well as their checkbook and wonders, who will I leave all my stuff to when I die? Everything is meaningless under the sun.

It is amazing, since there is this rhythm of life under the sun, that we work so hard to grab it and try to control it, when in reality we cannot. We seek self-importance by trying to elevate ourselves above others. It is all meaningless!

The author goes on to talk about trying to find meaning through pleasure – laughter, sex, alcohol, drugs, tranquility…all are meaningless; but a breath.  Money doesn’t satisfy nor does poverty. The possession of things or the absence of material stuff does not provide meaning – it will all be given to someone else as people say their final farewells to you.  Our nation has so many struggles with fighting from within and without. Thousands of churches close their doors every year compared to the few, in the US which are just starting – it appears we are losing ground-under the sun.

READY FOR GOOD NEWS?

          We are not living only under the sun – we are living in the SON!

We do not need to invest our lives in the temporal matters of earth. We have a destination far greater than what we see and experience day to day under the sun.

Augustine referred to Ecclesiastes as, "Setting forth the vanity of this life, only that we may desire that life wherein, instead of vanity beneath the sun, there is truth and eternal joy under Him who made the sun!"

Phil 4:11-13     I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Luke 12:22-31

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

"Paintings are valuable because the artist signs them. Imagine—what some museum would say you were worth if you could show them the signature of God upon you. That's what the Imago Dei means: God, the greatest Artist, has signed you and me. Our value is not based on what we have done, but in who made us.

          Think about this – the entire premise of Ecclesiastes – Everything is meaningless under the son – separated from God – that is a pretelling of our story – and of the story of the prodigal son who took the life his Father gave him and he tried every activity under heaven to give his life meaning and nothing ever worked, till the day he went back home and was lovingly-eternally welcomed into his Father’s arms…and that changed EVERYTHING!

ILLUSTRATION: Portrait of his son – whoever buys it, gets it all!